Institutions in the European Union.

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What are the main institutions of the EU and how do they work together?

The European Union is built on an institutional system that is the only one of its kind in the world.

There are four main institutions in the European Union.  These include the:

  • European Commission
  • Council Of The European Union
  • European Parliament
  • Court Of Justice

The 15 member states delegate sovereignty for certain matters to independent institutions that represent the interests of the Union as a whole, its member countries and its citizens.

The European Commission basically attends to the interests of the European Union as a whole.  Each national government has representatives within the Council Of The European Union.  The European Parliament is the most democratic of the main institutions and is elected by the citizens.

“This institutional triangle is flanked by two other institutions: the Court Of Justice and the Court Of Auditors.  A further five bodies make the system complete.”


This institution is represented by 20 commissioners (members) nominated by the governments of the 15 member states and “operates at the very heart of the European Union.”

The goal of the European Commission is “to ensure that the European Union can attain its goal of an ever-closer Union for its members.”

The role of the European Commission is an extremely important one.  Basically, the Commission has 3 key roles in the EU:

Firstly, guardian of the treaties, making sure that the treaties and laws governing the EU are properly applied.  Secondly, proposing legislation to be put forward to the EU member states and the European Parliament and thirdly, as the administration implementing many EU policies.

Citizens and companies have benefited significantly due to the activities of the European Commission.  Firstly, there has been a greater freedom of movement, greater prosperity and also a considerably less amount of red tape.

The Commission however is not entirely responsible for these favourable benefits.  The Commission works closely alongside many other European institutions and with the governments of the 15 member states.

For example, the Commission initiates proposals on legislation.  However, the outcomes of these legislations are invariably down to the ministers of these member states in the Council Of The European Union and in co-decision with the European Parliament.  The Commission therefore regularly attends Council and Parliament meetings.  The Parliament however is the major decision maker over the Commission and has the power to overrule any proposed policies by vote of no confidence.

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The Commission also works in close relationship with the Court Of Justice.  The activities of the European Commission involve the input of this institution on a consistent basis  The Commission is responsible for submitting disputes to the Court Of Justice.  These disputes may involve problems with governments or firms not adhering to the respective rules or regulations of the European Union.


The European Parliament (EP) represents in the words of the 1957 Treaty of Rome, 'the peoples of the States brought together in the European Community'.  The EP elected every five years is the ...

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